Uzumaki Naruto: Yoma Hunter
by Saberfan123
Summary: Naruto overdoes it while fighting Neji during the 3rd Chuunin Exam and wakes up in a world of silver-eyed witches and creatures called Yoma.
1. Chapter 1

**Uzumaki Naruto: Yoma Hunter**

AN: Hey guys, for the purposes of this story, graduating age is 16. Adjust ages accordingly. Oh, yeah, until further notice, I don't own Naruto or Claymore. Claymore is owned by Norihiro Yagi and Naruto is owned by Musashi Kishimoto. I shall only say this once.

Chapter 1

To say that Uzumaki Naruto was in a bad situation would be an understatement. At this point in time he was in the final part of the Chuunin Exam, and he was fighting Hyuuga Neji.

"Give up, you are destined to lose anyway." The Neji said smugly. Naruto was lying on his back after the latest series of strikes.

'_Listen fox, this is probably the last time I'm going to ask for your help. Give me some of your chakra.'_

"**Very well, you insolent brat. Take it. Take it all."** Kyuubi replied.

As the crowd looked on, Naruto got up, and he was surrounded by a large amount of red chakra. He leaped at Neji, but as he made to punch him, the chakra exploded outward, instantly killing him, Neji and the examiner.

'_Well, that didn't go quite as planned.'_ Naruto thought

"**Yes, well, you did ask for my chakra and that's what you got."**

'_I didn't mean give me all of it so I can kill myself. By the way, what are you still doing in my head?'_

"**Well, I have been wondering that myself."**

"Perhaps I can answer that." A voice replied.

Suddenly Naruto noticed he was somewhere that didn't look like Konoha. _'Well Kyuubi, it doesn't look like we're in Kansas anymore.'_

"Yes, quite. You are in Limbo for lack of a better word." The voice said.

"Where are you? How can you hear my thoughts?" Naruto asked as he got up.

"I am right behind you. To answer your second question, call it an ability I have given my current station." The voice answered.

Naruto turned around to look behind him. There stood the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had long blonde hair that hung in waves down to about the middle of her back. She had a trim figure and nice legs. She seemed to have been a warrior from the way she was dressed, she wore a grey full body suit, with steel shoulder guards, boots and bracers. The boots also had a slight heel to them. The strangest thing about her was that she had silver eyes.

"What's your name?" he asked after a while.

"You can call me Theresa. And before you ask, no, I am not Kami." She answered

"Oh," he seemed to visibly relax "so are you some kind of angel?"

"Yeah, I guess you could put it that way." She said with a thoughtful look on her face. "Anyway, the reason why I am here is because you were not supposed to die the way you did."

"Yeah, I guessed as much." He said

"Yes, quite. There was a greater threat than just Orochimaru out there. Of course with the Kyuubi now being moved on to the Shinigami their plan might also now not come to fruition, but that's beside the point. You were not supposed to die yet."

"So what now, do I wander Limbo forever?"

"No, not at all. You are going to be sent to my world, to help my successor and to protect her." Theresa replied. "You will wake up in my world with all the knowledge of someone who has lived their whole lives in my world as well as your chakra techniques. Good luck Uzumaki Naruto, you'll need it."

With that she started to fade away. "Wait, what's her name?" he asked frantically. "Don't worry," she said with a faint smile. "You'll know her when you see her. Oh yes, when you wake up, start walking north."

A/N: And cut. Sorry about the short chapter but hopefully they will get longer as the story goes on.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey all, here's chapter 2.

Chapter 2

Naruto awoke with a start. As he sat up and looked around, he found a sword lying next to him. It looked like a normal katana: It had a hilt bound in black rope and the scabbard was black lacquered wood. When he pulled it out he was surprised to find the blade was matte black, while the sharpened edge shone bright silver. When he sheathed the sword again he noticed a piece of paper attached to the other side. Pulling it off, he saw it was a note addressed to him.

_Naruto_

_First of all welcome to Calvona. My world. The sword is my gift to you to help you out since there isn't anything like your chakra in my world, though you will still be able to use yours. People will think you're a Yoma if you use any of those techniques in their vicinity. Once you meet up with my successor however, it won't matter._

_In case you're wondering, Yoma are a kind of monster that wander the countryside devouring humans' innards. Humans aren't able to tell them apart, but you will be._

_So good luck, I hope to see you again one day._

_Theresa_

_PS: The fox's healing is still available to you, it's fused to your DNA now, though it is slower than before. Be careful. Your senses have also been enhanced._

As he got up he noticed he was dressed in pretty drab civilian clothes. '_Maybe this is what they wear here._' And on his other side was a bag. He opened it to find it full of gold pieces. '_Must be what they used for money._'

'_Well, I guess I'll head north._' He thought to himself.

For the first time there was no reply. He started walking.

Several hours passed before he saw the beginnings of a town ahead. As he passed a villager he stopped and asked the town's name.

"This is Gravis. My name is Pol, how may I help you?"

"I'd just like to ask two more questions. Do you have an inn, and do you have problems with a yoma?"

"To answer your first question, yes, it's called The Hammer And Anvil, it's just a little way up the road. As for your second question, yes, strangely enough, we do. We have sent a request for a Claymore to be sent to take care of it. She should be here any day now." Pol said.

"Oh thanks, that's all I wanted to know, thank you." Naruto replied.

As he made his way to the inn he noticed that his clothes blended in with the other people around him.

'_So I was right, but if I'm going to be travelling, I'll need to get some more clothes._' He thought as he entered the inn.

"Welcome traveller, how may I help you today?" the innkeeper asked.

"How much for a room?" he asked

"Five pieces a night, including meals." The innkeeper answered.

"I'll be staying for a while." Naruto said and dropped a small pile on the table. '_He's a Yoma. So this is what she meant._'

"Very well sir, dinner is at eight, feel free to walk about the town. Here is your key, I would advise you not to go out too late at night, there have been a spate of Yoma attacks."

"Thanks for the advice." Naruto answered, took his key and left to explore the town. As he left the inn, he heard a commotion up the street. '_I wonder what that could be about._' He thought as he followed the noise.

As he came closer he saw that everyone was gathering at the other entrance to the village. He walked through the crowd and finally reached the front of the crowd. He noticed that everyone was squinting into the distance. Following their line of sight, he saw someone approaching dressed just like Theresa was.

'_I didn't think that's what they actually wore._' He thought.

As she came closer he saw that she also had silver eyes. Also there was something else familiar about her, but he didn't know what.

She drew closer to the group and it parted automatically. "I hope she doesn't turn on us next." One of the men nearby whispered. As she walked into town Naruto decided to follow her. '_This might just be her._' He thought. '_I'll just follow her and see what happens._' And so he did.

She walked to what seemed to be the mayor's office, knocked and entered. After waiting outside for a while, he saw her come out and keep heading the way she was originally. '_I wonder where she's going?_' he thought as he followed her.

Suddenly she spun around and drew her sword in a lightning quick movement. Naruto drew and blocked the swing in the same instant.

"Well now, that's not nice." He said.

"I could say the same to you." She answered in an almost monotone voice. "Who are you?"

"My name's Naruto, I was just wondering where you were going since you're almost to the other exit of the town."

"The exit is ahead?" She asked in the same monotone.

"Yeah, after that it's just barren land until the next town." He answered. He didn't know for sure but he thought so.

"Very well." And with that she drew her sword again and in a sudden motion stabbed it into the ground and sat down, leaning against it.

"What, are you taking a nap or something?" he asked.

"Yes." She answered. "I have been travelling for three days non-stop."

"Oh, okay." And with that he also sat down and leaned against the wall.

"Aren't you afraid of me?" she asked after a while.

"No. Should I be?" he asked in reply.

As the sun began to set, he stood up stretched and said "Well, I'd better get back to the inn. The yoma is probably wondering what's keeping me."

As he was leaving she suddenly had her sword against his throat. "How can you sense a Yoma?" she asked in a harsh whisper.

"Well, I don't know, you could say I was born with the ability." He answered casually.

"The only ones who can do it _naturally_ are Yoma themselves and people like me." She said, applying a little more force.

"Yeah, well do you think if I was a Yoma I would be hanging around so close to you?" Naruto asked.

"I suppose not." She answered, stabbing her sword into the ground again and sitting down.

"So, who's going to kill it, you or me?" he asked.

"No _human_ is able to kill a Yoma." Was her only answer.

"Maybe I'm not an ordinary human. Well, goodnight." He said and walked back to the inn.

* * *

As Naruto entered the inn, everything in the foyer was covered in blood. '_Damn, he's already killed someone._' He thought as he drew his sword and started searching for the Yoma.

He rounded a corner and there, in the dining room ironically, lay the bodies of two villagers, their entrails gone. '_Damnit, he could already be gone._' He thought, frustration becoming evident on his face. Suddenly, as if reading his thoughts, a voice behind him was heard. "**I was hoping I could catch you before I go.**"

"Oh, is that so?" Naruto said as he turned around.

"**Yes, I was busy finishing up and getting ready to leave, it was just by mere chance that you arrived when you did.**" It replied as it began to transform. "**Oh, toss that toothpick aside would you; they're really tough to digest.**" It said, continuing to draw closer to Naruto.

"How sure are you that I'm going to get eaten?" Naruto asked, a small smile beginning to form.

"**Only those irritating silver-eyed bitches are able to stand any chance of fighting us. You're just a pathetic human – meat in other words.**" The creature said as it was almost within arm's reach of Naruto.

Suddenly there was a flash and the creature's arm was separated from its body so quickly that it took the blood a second or two to spurt from the wound. "I may be human, but I am anything except pathetic." Sheathing his sword Naruto continued, "Now I'll prove it." As he said this he placed his hand in the now infamous cross-shape. In a cloud of smoke several clones formed. The creature meanwhile, was slack-jawed. "**What the hell is going on?**" it asked a little fearfully.

"This, my soon-to-be-dead monster is the legendary Kage Bunshin technique. It creates real copies of the user that can fight independently." As he said this je drew his katana again, but the others didn't. "Prepare to meet your end." Suddenly he and his Clones charged.

"Naruto Rendan!"

Finally, Naruto struck with his katana, slicing the creature's head clean off. As he stood and cleaned his katana on a nearby tablecloth, he was suddenly tackled from behind and jammed up against the wall. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now."

A/N: Cut! Still short I know, but it's getting longer. About the Naruto Rendan: It's the same as the one he uses in the exams, except at the last strike he hits the opponent with his sword.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"I say again, explain why I shouldn't kill you right now." Clare said menacingly while jamming Naruto against the wall.

"Well, if you let go, I'll explain." He replied in a semi-muffled voice.

After thinking a moment, Clare let him go, but she drew her sword as he turned to face her. Seeing this, he grimaced. "Is that really necessary?"

"Yes, now talk."

"Jeez, that Theresa seems to want me to perform a miracle." Naruto said off-handedly.

"How do you know Theresa?" She asked, almost punching Naruto through the wall, but settling for ramming his head against it again.

"Easy, easy. Like I said, if you let go, I'll explain."

"Fine, but I'm watching you." She said as she stepped back, allowing Naruto to turn around.

"First thing, could we do this somewhere else? The smell of Yoma blood is unbearable." Naruto said with a pained expression.

Without saying a word, she turned and walked out of the inn. As Naruto followed her he saw that they were heading out of the village. "Don't you have to collect payment." He asked.

"No, my handler comes and collects it later." She said and continued walking.

As they left the village Naruto told her to stop. While they made camp he started talking. He decided to tell her a revised version of what actually happened. He told her that he had been stabbed while in fight. While he was bleeding out, he had had a near-death experience, in which he'd met Theresa.

"So she told me that I wasn't supposed to die yet, and that I had to find her successor and protect her. I assumed she meant you, but I can't understand why."

"What do you mean?" she asked

"If all you silver-eyed people are this tough I can't understand why you need protection." He said looking her over again.

"It is strange to me why you do not use the name that other people use for my kind." She said after a moment's silence.

"What name?" he asked, frowning.

"Well, most people call us Claymores, after our swords."

"Oh, well from what I can tell, you don't really like the name, so I won't use it unless you want me to." Naruto said.

"Thank you, that is appreciated." Clare replied.

"So where are you headed next?"

"North."

"You mind if I come along?"

"Do as you like."

With that said, she made to go to sleep.

-----

Early the next morning, Clare got up and made her way the bushes and shrubs away from the camp.

"Strange that you, would take on a travelling companion. It is very unlike you." A man said, stepping out from behind a tree. He was dressed in black with a hat and, strangely, sunglasses.

"He is nobody for you to worry about Rubel. So do you have a job for me?"

"Yes, we there is this." So saying he reached into his pocket and withdrew a black envelope.

"You can't be serious. Why me?"

"She asked specifically for you." He said as he tossed the envelope to her.

"She is two days travel to the west." He added as he left.

-----

As Clare walked away Naruto was thinking about his situation. He had found Clare in record time fortunately, and it seemed she believed him as far as his modified story was concerned. He knew that as soon as he used his chakra abilities around her she was going to flip out again and demand an explanation.

So far he couldn't think of anything to tell her, but he knew the truth would have to be told when it happened. '_Damn, this is turning into some kind of suicide mission._'

As he thought this, he finished getting a place to sleep and making himself comfortable.

-----

When Clare came back she found Naruto fast asleep.

As she walked over to him, she thought again about his story. It seemed almost idiotic. How could Teresa, if it was she, send some teenage boy to _protect_ her. She could take care of herself perfectly well. She looked at him as he was sleeping.

He had yellow blonde hair which seemed to stand out all over the place and seemed to have a fur characteristic, he had strange scars that ran from the sides of his nose down his cheeks in three parallel lines, they almost looked like whiskers. She remembered that he had blue eyes; deep blue, almost like two lakes. He was average height and was wearing a dark grey shirt and puce-coloured cargo pants. She could tell that whatever he did for a living involved a lot of physical exertion as the shirt was slightly tight across his chest, not because it was small, but because of the muscles underneath.

Suddenly, his eyes popped open. "See anything you like?" he asked with a slight smirk. As he looked at her he saw her face colour ever so slightly. '_So she's not completely devoid of feelings after all._'

She didn't seem to hear him. "We're leaving early tomorrow morning." She said and left.

'_Smooth Uzumaki, real smooth._' He thought to himself as he drifted off to sleep again.

-----

Naruto awoke to feel someone nudging him awake. "Iruka-sensei, just let me sleep a little more." He mumbled as he rolled over onto his side. "Whoever Iruka is, I'm not him." Clare said slightly miffed. "Get up, we have to get going."

"Okay, okay. I'm up." He moaned as he struggled to get up.

After a hurried breakfast that consisted mostly of the previous night's leftovers, they were on their way.

"I meant to ask you, why did you eat so little of the food last night? It couldn't be because I'm a bad cook, could it?" Naruto asked as they walked alongside each other.

"No, the food was quite good thank you. It is just that, because of the Yoma flesh and blood that has been transplanted into our bodies, we don't really require so much food. We can usually last five days without food or water." She said, not breaking stride for a moment.

"Wow, that's pretty impressive." He replied.

They travelled in relative silence for quite a while as Naruto thought about the situation with Clare. She was really quite attractive but when they left the town, he noticed that many of the people seemed almost more afraid of her than the yoma that had been feeding on them.

As they walked, he glanced at Clare from his peripheral vision. She _was_ quite attractive: She had pale blond hair that hung down to just below her chin. She also had an extremely trim figure almost exactly like Teresa. He was still surprised that someone with that kind of figure could swing such a large sword around.

Suddenly a thought struck him and he decided to ask her. "What are you supposed to do in the town when we get there?"

"I'm to end the life of another one of my kind." She said in her trademark monotone.

"WHAT?! How can they expect you to do that!?"

"The company didn't order me to do it, she sent me a card."

"What do you mean a card?"

She stopped and withdrew her sword. "When we begin to take jobs, we are assigned a unique mark." She stabbed the sword into the ground and pulled at the pommel, it came loose and from within she pulled out a rolled up card of her own. "Whenever we use our Yoma powers, there is always a struggle between our human and Yoma parts. Sometimes some of us wear out before we are supposed to. So, while we still possess our human selves we send our card to the person we want to be killed by."

"And that's what you're here to do then?"

"Yes. The person who sent this to me was a very dear friend. We both underwent the transfusion at roundabout the same time. We became as two people like us couldget during that time."

"Wow, it's a real shame you have to kill her."

"Yes." She muttered as she put the card back in the sword and put it across her back.

As they arrived in town, they went to the nearest inn. "Excuse me." Clare said.

The proprietor looked up. "How can I…" the words died on his lips as he saw who or what was in front of him.

"Has another Claymore passed through here recently, perhaps heading towards the mountains?" she asked, oblivious of the looks the man was giving her.

"Yes, now that you mention it there was one." He said nervously and then asked, "I there a Yoma around?"

"No, there are no Yoma in or around this village." She said as she turned to leave.

Naruto followed her outside. She stopped and turned to him. "You will stay and order a room."

Naruto immediately became angry. "Hey, I'm not some useless kid that's just following you because he has no choice. I can help you."

She put her hand on his shoulder. "I know, but this is something I have to do on my own. I promise I will come back for you." She said, and with that left.

Naruto went back to the proprietor. "It seems I'm going to be staying a while." Naruto said

------

A day later, Clare walked into the inn again, to find Naruto waiting. "Come on let's go." And so they left.

Over the next couple of days they travelled together. Slowly but surely Naruto started to fall for her, there was something about her that made him want to jump her, but he wasn't able to say what. She was beautiful, sure, but it was more than that. In her way she was kind, and she was very dedicated to her work, even if people hated her for it. To him, this is something that he felt they had in common. He was also despised by the village but he would have fought for it with his dying breath.

She couldn't understand what it was, but she was crazy about him.

He made the journey so enjoyable. Besides the food he cooked, his entire personality brightened her journey. She could tell that he was strong, and on the various jobs that she had done, he had shown himself to be very proficient with the sword that he carried. They worked very well together.

He didn't know what he was gonna do but he wouldn't last. At night, he had very arousing dreams featuring Clare with nothing but a smile. It was driving him to distraction. He had lost count the number of times he had to get up in the middle of the night to go and cool off.

It was all going as usual one night: They had just completed another job and were camping outside the village. Clare had just left to go and bathe.

-----

She had just finished bathing when Clare saw Rubel standing off to the side. She proceeded to get dressed while he approached. "I take it there is another job?" She asked nonchalantly.

"Yes, there is. There was a request made from the city of Rabona."

A/N: I know, another cliffy, but to me the Rabona arc should be done separately because it is important. If any of you are wondering about the different clothes Naruto is wearing in relation to canon, just go with it. I decided on this wardrobe change because I hated the clothes Naruto wears during the time before his training trip. As a reference, puce is described in WordWeb as "A colour varying from dark purplish brown to dark red". Thank you for all the reviews, I appreciate every one, even the ones that ones that only say "Great story. Please update." It shows me that you appreciate the story.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"We have a request from the city of Rabona." Rubel said as she finished dressing.

"You mean the _holy_ city of Rabona?" Clare asked

"Exactly."

"Then we can't help them, they have a rule against anything unnatural entering or being brought into the city." Clare said.

"Oh, don't worry about that. We have a solution for that." He said and tossed a small package to Clare.

She deftly caught it in one hand and opened it. "In there are pills that will suppress your Yoma powers for at least half a day. That should allow you entry." Rubel explained and left.

Clare turned and headed back for camp.

-----

As Clare approached Naruto could see something was troubling her.

"Something wrong Clare?" He asked in a concerned voice.

"No. I don't know. Our next job is in the holy city of Rabona." Clare answered.

"So what are we going to do, I mean I assume that they wouldn't normally allow someone like you to enter the city."

"You are right, but Rubel gave me these pills that he said would suppress my Yoma powers for at least half a day."

"But, if your Yoma powers are suppressed how are you going to find the Yoma?" Naruto asked.

"We'll just have to physically walk around and look for traces. Plus at night after the pills wear off I should be able to look around."

"Well okay then. Let's get some sleep." And so saying, he lay back and closed his eyes.

-----

The innkeeper thought to himself that it had been a slow day overall and was just about to close up when he heard the bell over his door. He looked over at the door to see a young man enter

"Good afternoon, room for one?" he asked genially.

"No," he said and looked behind him, "for two actually."

Behind the youth was the most stunningly beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was a few inches taller than the youth, and had pale-blond hair that reached down to just about her chin.

For a moment he seemed stunned, but then his brain engaged again, "So, it's two then."

"Yes, my sister and I would like a room." Naruto said with a slight smile.

"Of course, of course. Might I ask what the two of you are doing here?"

"Well, we're selling antiques." Naruto said and the innkeeper noticed for the first time that he had something slung across his back.

"Oh? How much?" he asked with a slight glint of interest.

"100 000 Beras" Naruto answered.

"Wow, that's a bit much isn't it?" he questioned with a look of astonishment.

"Well, that's how much it is, if we don't sell it, it's not the end of the world." Naruto said.

"I still don't think you're going to find anyone who'll buy it for that price, but oh well." He answered as he handed Naruto the key to the room. "It's the first door up the stairs to the left." He directed.

"Thank you very much." Clare spoke for the first time.

"My pleasure young lady." The innkeeper replied with a smile.

-----

As Naruto closed the door behind them, Clare nearly collapsed on the. He rushed over to her. "Are you okay?" he asked with a concerned voice.

"Yes, I'm fine. It's just the pills." She said opening her eyes.

Suddenly Clare noticed how close they were to each other. "You have beautiful eyes, you know that?" Naruto asked, seemingly oblivious to their closeness. "But I prefer you silver eyes."

"Oh, thank you. Um, could you get off? We should go and introduce ourselves to the priest who hired us." She said, becoming slightly uncomfortable.

"Oh, heh heh, sure." Naruto said, standing up again.

For a moment there seemed to be an awkward silence, until Naruto reminded Clare again that they should go and see the priest.

-----

As they left the inn, the innkeeper reminded them that there was a curfew at night, so they should be back before then.

"Yes, we know thank you." Clare replied again with a smile.

As they walked the streets, Naruto stared at her for a moment and then, "You know, you seem to be completely different from the way you usually are."

"Well, we were trained in espionage by the organisation. We've learned to carry ourselves so we can blush like an aristocrat or smile like a prostitute." Clare replied with a straight face.

"A prostitute?!" Naruto asked, seeming to fall over himself at her answer.

"Yes, a prostitute. Would you like me to demonstrate for you?"

"No, no, that's fine." Naruto replied, blushing slightly.

"Well then, let's get going." She said, and they continued walking.

'_Was she joking or what?_'

As they entered the church, they made their way to the baptismal hall. One of the guards stopped them. "Up ahead is the baptismal hall, you may only enter if you have come to be baptised." He said curtly.

"We have come to be baptised." Clare answered.

"Do you have proof?" the same guard asked.

Reaching into her pocket, Clare pulled out what looked like a coin and handed it to the guard.

"This is indeed proof. You may enter." The guard answered and moved out of their way.

They made their way through the hall, until they were spotted by one of the priests. "Have you come to be baptised?" he asked

"Indeed, are you father Vincent?" Clare asked.

"Yes, I am." He said.

"It is an honour to meet you." Clare said as she knelt before him.

"I baptise you in the name of our lord, what is the name of yours?" he asked.

"It is Rimuto, from the land of Sutafu." She replied.

The priest seemed to become very tense at this.

"Calm down father, act normally." Clare said.

He leaned forward slightly. "Come to the top of the bell tower tonight. I shall explain the situation to you then." He stood up again and then said loudly, "May you go in peace."

With that they left.

-----

"I hope you enjoyed your meal." The innkeeper said as he cleared away their plates.

"Yes, we did, it was delicious." Clare said with a demure smile.

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it." He said as he left, closing the door again behind him.

"I'm sorry that you had to finish two such large portions." She said turning to Naruto, who was lying on the bed.

"It's fine Clare, I have a notoriously large appetite." Naruto replied with a smile.

"Well," she said, standing up, "I should get going to that meeting." She made to leave through the window, when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

"Listen Clare, be careful okay. There will probably be quite a few guards around if there is a curfew." Naruto said with a worried look on his face.

"Don't worry Naruto, I'll be fine." She said, turning her head slightly.

"I know, I just wouldn't be able to stand it if something happened to you." Suddenly he hugged her.

"Is this about Teresa supposedly telling you to protect me?" She asked, a slight tone of derisiveness in her voice.

"No," he said and hugged her tighter. "I really care about you, you know."

She was silent for a moment as the realisation struck her that Naruto might actually be in love with her. "Okay." She said, not trusting her voice for anything more.

With that, she leapt out the window.

A/N: And cut. Yes short, I know, but you people seem to be clamouring for this story to be updated. So here you go. What will Clare do now that Naruto has confessed? Find out next time


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Clare made her way across rooftops toward the bell tower. As she neared the bell tower a thud was heard from behind and in front.

"Well well, what do we have here?" the leaner of the two asks. "There's a curfew at night you know."

"Anyone who is seen outside after curfew falls under suspicion." The armoured one explains. "If you do not come with us, we will have to resort to violence to detain you."

"I do not mean to be rude, but I do not mean to be rude, but I do not have time to waste here." Clare answered evenly.

There was a sudden flash as Clare threw two short swords, one at each of them. With cries of pain they hit their targets, striking them both in their hands.

"Like I said, I do not have time for this." Clare replied in the same even tone of voice. With that she leaped off again without a further word.

-----

The meeting at the bell tower went down without any further trouble. She made her way back to the inn without incident or provocation. Heading back, she thought about what Naruto had said and what it might mean. She wasn't a fool, she knew that Claymores were barely tolerated by the general population, and only when there was a Yoma in their village. They were treated with fear and suspicion wherever they went. It was hard to pretend that it didn't hurt, it hurt quite a bit after a while. No one had ever treated her in anything approaching a friendly manner before Naruto came into her life.

'_He isn't afraid of me at all. And he said he cares about me._' She thought to herself as she continued to leap across the rooftops. '_We'll have to talk about this, when this job is over._'

As she made her way through the inn window she was surprise to see that Naruto was still awake.

"Hey, you're back." He says with a certain amount of relief.

"Of course, you sound worried."

"No no, not worried per se." He answered, scratching the back of his head. "It's just that, you know, I care about you."

"Oh, okay." She said, a look of slight surprise on her face. '_He said it again. Could he really mean it?_'

"You know I was serious, right?" He asked, a small smile on his face.

"Well…"

"Listen, it doesn't really matter right now. We have a job to do tomorrow."

"Yes, of course, let's get some sleep."

-----

The next morning, as they were finishing up, the door burst open and in walked the two soldiers from the previous night.

"Last night, we ran into someone along the rooftops who wasn't supposed to be there. She also had silver eyes, which means she was a Claymore. She was seen leaving this area, therefore we are searching this area." The armoured guard explained.

'_It's a good thing Clare took one of those pills this morning._'

"Hello there, you're a pretty thing." The knife-tosser said with a grin. "You don't have silver eyes, but seeing as though we're looking for someone who poisoned her body with the flesh of a monster, I wouldn't be surprised if she could change her eye colour." He said as he held her by her chin.

Suddenly, and unexpected by everyone, Naruto was behind him with his sword against the soldier's throat.

"I'll ask you nicely to remove your hand and stop insulting my sister like that before my hand slips." Naruto said menacingly.

"What are you doing?" The armoured guard asked.

"Protecting my sister's honour." Naruto answered, emotion seeming to disappear from his voice. "First you insult my sister by calling her a monster, then, when you're proven wrong, you come on to her. You make me sick."

"Naruto, calm down. It's okay." Clare said, speaking for the first time since all of this happened.

"Fine, he lives for now." Naruto said with a sigh, removing and sheathing his sword.

"We'll be going then." The armoured guard said as he turned to leave.

"Wait a minute. Galk, he just attacked me…"

"With just reason." Galk said, still making to leave. "Sorry for troubling you, please go back to your business." With that, he left, the shorter knife-tosser following.

After they left, they both seemed to relax. "That was close." Clare said as she turned to look at Naruto. "You seemed like a completely different person. Still, what you said took some quick thinking."

"I'm sorry if I startled you, but when people threaten people that I care about, I do everything in my power to protect them with my life." Naruto said, his back to her. "And besides, everything except the sister part was true."

"Thank you. Anyway, we should get to the cathedral and report to the priest." She said, donning her cloak again.

"Okay, sure." Naruto said, his back still turned to her. '_What just happened to me? It's almost like when the fox's chakra took control of my body._'

-----

They finally arrived at the cathedral, only to find the priest waiting for them.

"It is good that you came, it seems that there was another attack last night." The priest said in a worried tone.

"Father, this is my partner, Uzumaki Naruto." Clare said.

"Ah yes, I thought so." The priest said, turning slightly to regard Naruto. "Welcome to this holy place."

"Thank you Father." Naruto replied, bowing slightly.

"Father, is there somewhere we might speak in private." Clare asked in slightly hushed tones.

"Yes, follow me."

The priest led them on a winding path that finished at what appeared to be his private rooms. "After you?" He offered.

After they had entered, the priest came in and closed the door behind them. "Let me explain." He said. And so he did.

-----

After the priest finished his explanation, Clare spoke. "I have an idea Father. There is a chance that the Yoma is hiding amongst you as one of the priests."

"Yes, go on." The priest replied, not entirely surprised.

"If I forego the pills I've been taking, and if you gather all of the priests, I might be able to find him." Clare explained.

"Very well." The priest answered. "I will do so. Return tonight."

-----

That night all the priests gathered in the Main Hall, not one of them knowing why they were called. The only explanation that was offered, was that it was a matter of grave importance.

"Father Vincent, why have you called us here?" one of them asked, after they had all gathered.

"As you know, there have been a recent spate of attacks. The victims all have one thing in common, their innards have been eaten. This points to only one possible culprit. A Yoma." Father Vincent explained.

"What!" Another cried in astonishment.

"It is true. It is for that reason, that I sent a request to the only organisation that can combat these creatures. One has been sent, and it is she who has asked that I gather you all here." He continued.

"Vincent, you would allow such an unholy creature entry into our domain?" The first priest asked in outrage.

"Yes. I would, if it was necessary to save our lives."

With a thunderous noise the doors behind them opened. They all turned to look, and with that, Clare walked in. "Thank you for doing this father." She said as she neared them.

"It is no problem my dear." Father Vincent replied.

"All that I require, is that you stand still and allow me to look into your eyes. That is all I will need to do to identify you as a Yoma."

And so each of the priests were brought forward in turn.

-----

Meanwhile, Naruto was down in the baptismal hall with the statue they arrived with. "I don't know why she sent me down here." Naruto grumbled. "She knows I can take care of myself, so why am I down here damnit."

As he neared what looked like a large coffin, he shrugged the statue off of his back and grumbled again. "This place gives me the creeps with its open coffins."

Suddenly he felt a slight flare of yoki, but before he could pinpoint the source, it disappeared. '_Damnit, where did that come from?_' he thought as he glanced around.

-----

'_None of them are_ _the Yoma!_' She thought to herself as she finished with Father Vincent. '_But how can that be? Think Clare, there is something you're missing. A Yoma can disguise itself as a man, a woman, a child, an elder or even... A CORPSE!_' Her eyes widened at the thought just as she was heading for the baptismal hall, she heard a loud bang.

-----

'_Damnit, this one is tough._' Naruto thought as he continued to slash at the gigantic form of the Yoma.

"You're too slow." The yoma said.

Suddenly, he extended his fingers and rammed them through Naruto's chest.

-----

Clare entered the hall to the sight of Naruto collapsing in front of the yoma. "NO!" She cried, releasing her yoma abilities and charging at the creature.

"Damn you! I'll make you pay!" she cried as she attacked it with Naruto's sword.

-----

Naruto opened his eyes to find himself in the same place he was before he ended up in this world. '_Oh great, I'm dead. AGAIN._' He thought

"Not necessarily." A voice replied.

As Naruto stood up, he saw that it was the same woman he had met the first time he ended up here.

"It's seems you really are a reckless idiot." Teresa said as she walked toward him. "Why didn't you let Clare know the yoma was in the baptismal hall as soon as you felt the yoki flare?"

"I thought I could take care of it."

"Indeed, and now, because she cares so much about you, Clare has gone over her limits. She'll lose control and turn into a yoma herself."

"What?! Listen, send me back. I'm sure Ican calm her down and bring her back."

"Very well. But the next time I see you, you'd better have a damn good reason." Teresa replied in a mock-serious tone.

-----

Clare had finally killed the Yoma, but she had unwittingly gone over her own limits in the process. As she looked up, she saw an unbelievable sight. Naruto was getting up. He shook his head a little and then looked around. As he caught sight of her, he ran over.

"Clare, you have to calm down." He said as he dropped down in front of her.

"My yoki is out of control Naruto, I can't." She replied, her muscles already changing under the influence of the yoki. "You have to kill me Naruto, it's the only way."

"No, Clare. If you go, I go." He said as he lifted her to him and then suddenly, he hugged her.

With a sudden flash, the yoki disappeared. They continued to hug as the guards and Father Vincent arrived.

As they broke apart, Clare whispered. "What happened, my yoki is back under control again."

"I don't know, and I don't care. I love you Clare and I'm not leaving you again, unless it's together." Naruto said, a tear rolling down his cheek.

"I..." she hesitated for a moment and then. "I love you too Naruto."

-----

The next day, Naruto and Clare were at the gates bidding farewell to Father Vincent. "Thank you for helping us."

"It is my mission Father, how could I do otherwise."

"Still, I wish there was some way I could thank you." Father Vincent replied.

"There is no need. Come on Naruto, we should get going."

And with that they left.

A/N: You people are really lucky. Because of a sudden burst of inspiration, I wrote this one night and have decided to post this with the previous chapter. Thanks again to everyone who review, I really appreciate it.


	6. Chapter 6

Uzumaki Naruto: Yoma Hunter

Chapter 6

A woman screamed as she ran across the hill, her brown hair flowing behind her in a wave.

"Hey, don't be afraid. I won't hurt, much." A voice cried from behind her. The man did not seem to have any problem keeping up with her.

Suddenly, as she turned to look ahead of her again, another man seemed to jump in front of her. "C'mon," He said, "don't be like that, we just eat your guts and then we'll go. I promise we'll make it quick."

With a flash, and the sound of steel through flesh, his head disappeared. Hearing this, the woman looked around and saw three Claymores standing in front of her.

"Are there any more?" the middle one asked.

"Yes, there are about a dozen more. Another Claymore and a man were fighting them, last I saw." She replied, still shaken by her ordeal.

"Very well." The middle one, who seemed to be the leader, answered. With that, they headed into town.

They arrived to see the aforementioned Claymore killing a Yoma. As she finished, the man behind her turned around, as if sensing them. "Clare, aren't these your comrades?" he asked.

"You know, let a human be killed by a Yoma that escaped." The leader said.

"Well, I sensed you coming from that direction, so I figured that you would be able to kill it if you hurried and you didn't want her blood on your hands." Clare replied blandly.

"We had received intel that suggested there was the possibility of a Voracious Eater and that we should join up and tackle it together."

"Sorry, unfortunately it was just ordinary Yoma this time."

"Don't you mean 'fortunately'? If a Voracious Eater were present, you would be dead right now." At this, Naruto glanced slightly at Clare. The leader continued, "Were you trying to earn glory or something?"

"Not particularly." Clare replied in that same bland tone. "I just arrived early and proceeded to take action."

"No matter, we will be reporting your insubordination to our superiors." The leader said, and turned to leave.

"They're a little uptight aren't they?" Naruto mumbled, turning slightly to Clare again. Suddenly, he grabbed her and kissed her passionately. "Ah, you taste just as good as you did this morning." He said with a smile, but he quickly became serious as he looked into her eyes. "I know you can take care of yourself, but you could have at least told me that we might be fighting a Voracious Eater."

Clare looked at him, still surprised at how quickly she fell in love with him. "Sorry, it just slipped my mind."

Even though they had been together for quite a while, they had never really consummated their relationship. Naruto had broached the subject tentatively once and had asked Clare if there was anything wrong.

She had hesitated at first, but finally relented and told him that because of what they were and the procedures that they went through, their bodies had scars that never truly healed. She told him that it would take her some time to gather the courage to allow them to do it. So he had told her that he would wait as long as necessary.

With the job finished, they left. While Naruto was preparing the meal, Clare got up and walked into the gathering darkness.

-----

"Really, you're just as reckless as ever." Rubel said. "What would you have done if it had been a Voracious Eater? Actually, I think you hoped for one."

"You should forget about those aspirations, you don't know how they really are."

"I fought a Voracious Eater in Rabona." Clare replied

"That was just a normal Yoma that had lived longer."

"The term 'Voracious Eater' is just an obfuscation. It's a term we use when speaking about them to the public. The proper term is actually 'Awakened Beings'. They are our own mistakes after all, it's better that the public thinks of them as Yoma that have lived too long."

"If that's all then I'll be going back." Clare answered and turned to leave.

"You should forget about Priscilla. Even among Awakened Beings, she is extremely powerful."

"And if we received a request to dispatch Priscilla?" Clare asked, having stopped in her tracks.

"We would put everything on a balance and let the elders decide. Don't worry, the current Number 1 and Number 2 are quite powerful. There are heroes for every age. Pity you aren't one of them." Rubel seemed to think for a moment, then: "Very well, I'll add you to an expedition that hunts Awakened Beings."

"Use this chance to measure your limits as much as you wish."

With that she walked back to their fire.

-----

"So we're here to meet a group that hunts Voracious Eaters huh?" Naruto asked

"Yes."

They continued to make their way through the town when a man in a cloak appeared in front of them. "This way." He said by way of greeting and proceeded to walk down an alley.

Soon, they reached a door. The man opened it, saying: "You're the last ones. The others are already here."

Through the hazy semi-darkness, they could see three shapes.

One got up and turned to them. "You brought a man? Is he your boy-toy or what?"

In a flash Naruto had drawn his sword and flew across the room. "Don't you dare insult Clare like that." He said through gritted teeth.

"Well, this is a surprise. A human defending one of our kind." She said with a smirk.

One of the others appeared next to Naruto, sword drawn. "That's quite the attitude coming from the ones who are late."

With a sigh, the cloaked man said: "I'll leave the rest to you Miria." And left.

Hearing her name, the one in the middle stood up and sighted. "Really, last time, you were the first one there. Now you're the last one here."

At this, Clare seemed to recognise the person. "So you're Miria." She replied.

"Yes. As introduction, I'd like to know your names, rankings and if you have hunted Awakened Beings before."

The one who crossed swords with Naruto started. "My name is Helen, I'm Number 15 and I've never hunted Yoma before."

The one next to Naruto decided to go next: "I'm Deneve, I'm Number 12, and I've hunted an Awakened Being once before."

"I'm Miria, I'm Number 6, I'll be leading this group and I've hunted Awakened Beings three times before. And you?" She said this last pointing at Clare.

"I'm Clare, I've never hunted Awakened Beings before, and I'm Number 47." She answered.

Everyone was stunned into silence for moment, then, "So wait, you're THE number 47?" Helen asked incredulously. "I can't believe it."

"Would someone mind enlightening me as to what the hell is going on?!" Naruto asked, trying to remain calm.

"Well pretty-boy, it's like this." Helen smirked as she explained. "The country is split into 47 sectors. Likewise, there are 47 Claymores operating at one time or another, give or take. So basically it's one Claymore per sector. We are likewise ranked 1-47, strongest to weakest…"

"So you're saying that Clare…"

"That's right, she's the weakest." Helen said, stilling grinning.

Clare remained silent through all of this.

"Enough, we need to get going."

At Miria's tone, everyone went quiet, even Naruto. As they left the hovel, Clare pulled Naruto to the side.

"I know this is going to sound heartless," she whispered, "but we're going to to have to act professional for the duration of the mission."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"You know what I mean. We have to act like we're only friends." Clare said.

"What? Why?" He asked, incredulous.

"Many of my kind do not fit in well with the rest of society." Clare began.

"That's the understatement of the century." Naruto replied. "But we've been over this before."

"Yes, well, because we're so shunned-"

"Hey, you guys better hurry up, or else we'll leave you behind." Helen shouted.

"We're coming." Naruto answered.

"We'll continue this later, for now, just act like we're just friends. For me?" Claresaid

"Fine."Naruto answered as they followed the other three.

The hard pace set by Miria had them reach the nearby cave by nightfall. Once they arrived they found a cave and made camp.

"There are reports of a Voracious Eater in these mountains." Miria explained. "We have been sent to find it and kill it."

"Well that sounds simple enough." Naruto answered.

"Yeah, well it always sounds much simpler than it actually is." Helen argued.

"Enough." MIria said. "We leave early tomorrow morning so we can search tomorrow thoroughly. Now get some rest."

With that, they settled down to rest.

A/N: Yeah, I know. It's a little short, but I'd rather post this now than make it seem like I've lost all interest in writing it. For those who voted for my "Naruto The Blind Sword" pairings, the votes are in. The winner is… drum roll please… Naruto and Female Kyuubi. Sorry for those who voted for others, but this was almost a landslide. Don't worry, I will continue that story and the others, I just want to finish one at a time.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A/N: I have received some reviews asking about whether or not I'm rushing the relationship between Clare and Naruto and the fact that they are already talking about "doing IT" as one reviewer so eloquently put it. Well, I always got the impression from the series that, before and after the Teresa arc, enough time had passed to warrant it, that's my opinion anyway.

Clare was getting ready to go to sleep when Miria was standing next to her.

"Come with me." With that, she left the cave.

When Clare arrived, Miria said: "We need to talk about something."

"Very well, go ahead." Clare answered.

"The man who is travelling with you, who is he and what is his relationship with you?" Miria asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Clare asked.

"Just answer the question."

"Fine, I met him a while ago on a job. Even though it has nothing to do with you, our relationship is purely platonic." Clare explained.

"So if I kill him, you won't care?" Miria asked.

"Why would you do that?" Naruto asked from behind her.

"How did you get behind me?" Miria asked, surprised.

"Oh, you'll find I'm just full of surprises. Now why would you want to kill me?" He smirked. "I'm such a lovable guy once you get to know me."

"Naruto, calm down, she's not serious." Clare said in a monotone voice.

"Tell me NOW!" Miria shouted.

"Fine we're in a relationship. Happy now?" Naruto answered, his smirk still firmly in place.

"What kind of relationship?" Miria asked.

"A relationship that's none of your business." Naruto answered again.

"Fine, it doesn't seem like I'm going to get a straight answer out of either of you." Miria said, and started to leave.

"Wait that's it?" Naruto asked dumbfounded.

"Yes, that's it" She answered and left.

"You know, I quite like it when you take charge like that." Clare said with a small smile on her face.

"Uh-huh, I noticed. You were almost going to blab everything to her." Naruto said with a smile.

"Well, she is my superior." Clare said, walking to him.

Naruto closes the gap and then begins kissing her passionately. "Have I told you how hot you look in that uniform?"

"Yes, numerous times in fact." She replied, kissing him back.

Pulling back, he said "We should probably get some sleep. Her personality makes me think that we're going to be up at the crack of dawn."

"You're probably right." She replied, turning and heading back to the cave.

-----

Just as Naruto predicted, the next morning they were up and about as the sun was rising over the horizon. After a hasty breakfast, they all continued their trek in silence.

After travelling through a pass, a man walked out from behind a blind corner.

"You must be the Claymores that were sent." He said as greeting.

"Indeed." Miria replied.

"Follow me. I will lead you to where the Yoma has hidden itself." He answered and turned to leave.

"Listen, I don't know if it's my imagination, but I'm getting some very strange vibes from that guy." Naruto whispered to Clare.

"So do I, I will let Miria know." Clare replied in a whisper.

She proceeded to relay her and Naruto's thoughts to Miria.

"Thank you Clare, I will keep that in mind and act accordingly."

As they turned the corner they saw the man had stopped. "What is the meaning of this?" Miria asked.

"Slight change of plans." The man replied. "You see, I'm the Awakened Being."

At this explanation, he expected some sort of reaction, but he didn't get anything. With a slight frown, he asked, "If you already knew, why didn't you attack me when you saw me?"

"We were not sure." Miria answered as they all drew their swords.

Without preamble, Naruto charged the man, who had begun changing to his Awakened state. As his sword connected, he sliced through two of the creature's six legs.

"Well, you certainly are strong, but are you fast enough?" it asked as it swung one of its other arms. As the swing connected, Naruto disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"What the hell, did that thing just vaporise him, or what?" Helen asked incredulously.

"That's what I would like to know." Miria asked.

They all turned to regard Clare. "What just happened?" Miria asked, trying to control her tone.

"Just watch." Was Clare's answer.

As they turned to watch the fight, they saw that Naruto had appeared above the creature.

"Take this!" Naruto shouted as he swung his sword downward.

-----

Meanwhile, a couple of miles away, a Claymore and her handler were standing at the edge of a forest staring at where the fight was taking place. The handler was covered from head to foot in black, with only his eyes exposed.

"There seems to be something happening." The Claymore said. "The four of them are just standing there, but something is aggravating the Awakened Being."

"What do you mean?" her handler asked. He was seated on a large stone next to her.

"I'm getting a reading on a strange energy source, almost like Yoki, but different."

"Different how?"

"Well, I can't say that it's weaker, but it seems almost _purer_." She replied with a slight frown.

"Well, that is an odd way of putting it." He said.

"Yes, well, that is the feeling I get."

"Change of plans, remember that Yoki as well as, but mostly that one."

"Why is that?"

"You may have to face them again."

-----

Naruto was cutting the creature to ribbons.

He and his clones had almost reduced the creature to a quivering mass of flesh. Clare had finally joined in, because it seemed that Naruto was starting to have trouble cutting through the creature's armoured flesh.

"I thought she was supposed to be the weakest one of all of us." Helen asked, her jaws agape.

"Never mind that. What is that guy doing" Deneve asked, speaking for the first time since they got there.

"Whatever it is, it allows him to fight evenly with an Awakened Being, at least so far." Miria said.

Suddenly, with a flash of steel and a spray of blood, the creature's head was removed.

-----

"That is decidedly odd." The Claymore said.

"What is that?"

"The young man has apparently killed the creature with the help of the one with the least amount of Yoki." She explained.

"You are sure?"

"Of course I am, as certain as I can be at this range. I can get a better reading if I move closer." She answered.

"No, it's fine. The creature has been killed and I have some interesting things to report to the higher-ups." He said with a hint of pleasure. He got up and turned to leave and then went further. "Like I said, memorise those Yoki signatures, especially the male's and the smallest yoki." With that, he left.

She turned and followed and thought to herself: 'What did that man do that I was able to pick up multiple readings on him.'

Meanwhile, her handler was thinking something completely different: 'If we could get that man and run some tests, we might be able to reintroduce male Claymores.'

A/N: And cut! Short, I know, but I've been a little side-tracked with looking for a job and everything. Hope you enjoyed it.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

As Clare and Naruto were cleaning and sheathing their swords, Miria walked towards them.

"That was quite impressive." She said as she reached them.

"Thank you. We have been practicing our teamwork for this job, and I must say, it has borne fruit." Clare said with the hint of a smile on her face.

"I'll say." Naruto said, positively grinning.

"I want to ask you something. Please take it as a serious question." Miria said.

"Very well." Clare replied.

Miria looked her dead in the eye before asking: "Have you come close to awakening?"

"Huh?" Helen blurted out from behind her. "What kind of question is that?"

"Like I said, it's a very serious question. Now would you answer me?"

Naruto and Clare shared a look and after a moment Naruto nodded to her. "Yes, I have." Clare answered. "I went over my limits while trying to regenerate a wound."

"Very strange." Miria said after hearing Clare's answer.

She turned to the other two. "And you two?"

"Well, yeah, I have." Helen answered, scratching her head.

"So have I." Deneve answered shortly and without emotion.

"Hmm, and have any of you been a problem to clents or others?"

"Well, you can probably tell from my personality that I have a couple of times." Helen answered, then continued. "Deneve seems to have more of a problem with her own kind."

Miria looks to Deneve and then: "Have you two known each other long?"

"Yes." Was Deneve's verbose reply.

"Yeah," Helen pipes up again, "we started working around the same time."

"I see." Miria turns back to Clare. "And here we have one that goes wild from time to time and ignores orders."

"Well, what are you getting at?" Naruto asked, frowning slightly.

"Well, supposedly, a group of Claymores have been chosen who have all come close to awakening and supposedly they also have a problem with authority." Miria theorised.

"You don't seem to have a problem with authority." Clare said.

"I'm the one with the biggest problem with 'authority' as you put it."

Miria proceeded to tell them of a hunt for an Awakened Being that she had been a part of.

"When the creature was near death it transformed into its human form again. When it finished, it turned out to be my best friend. I hate this organisation that does _this_ to us and then puts us out to pasture when we outlive our usefulness. That was also the day I almost awakened, but I didn't, probably because I didn't want to give her the satisfaction."

"Who are you talking about?" Helen asked.

"Never mind that, my theory is that since almost awakening, we are all a lot more powerful. You all can probably take on a single digit, no problem, but the following ones you should be careful of."

She proceeded to scratch a series of symbols into the nearby rock.

"These are the symbols of the top five. Avoid them as much as possible, especially this one."

At this, she pointed to a symbol of a circle with a vertical line through.

"She is entirely too bloodthirsty, even among her own kind. Avoid her even if you have to act unnaturally. Her name is Ophelia."

"So what are you going to do while we avoid these guys – or in this case _gals_ – like the plague?" Naruto asked.

"I will continue my investigation alone. It is better that way as the organisation sees me as little more than nuisance at the moment."

With that, she drew her sword and extended it before her. As if reading her mind, the others did the same. They crossed at the point. Naruto had decided against drawing his as it would be too short to reach.

"May we all live to meet again." Miria said.

And so they separated.

-----

A final slash was heard. Naruto and Clare each swung their swords to the side to get rid of the yoma blood and then sheathed them.

"Well, it seems your training has really helped a lot." Clare said with a slight smile.

"Thanks, you've become quite strong as well."

Since the first Awakened Being mission things had gone pretty much back to normal. A few things did change, however: Clare and Naruto wanted to improve their skills to such a point that they could take on Priscilla without being killed outright. Also, Clare decided to clean up her image a little by keeping her rebellious tendencies in check. Strange as it may seem, having Naruto helped a lot with that.

Their teamwork seemed almost instinctual now. This could be attributed to many things: They practiced many hours a day at it. Or it could be the strong feelings they felt for each other aided them in their fighting as well.

"So, are we going to camp out on the outskirts of the town or shall we stay at an inn?" Naruto asked.

"Inn." Clare replied with that same small smile.

To Naruto, that smile said a lot about Clare's personality. She could not grin like he did when he was happy, because it didn't suit her, but she could still show how happy she was by this smile.

'She looks cute like this.' He thought.

"Inn it is." He said out loud.

As they made their way to the nearest inn, a shadowy figure was standing in a nearby alley, watching them.

"Target located." The figure said to no one in particular.

Suddenly, a second figure joined the first.

"Good. Keep an eye on them Rafaela, The young man is of particular interest."

"Very well." The figure, now named, replied and seemed to slip back into the shadows.

The second figure remained behind for a few more minutes. 'So it seems number 47 has fallen in love with him. That may prove troublesome.' The figure thought, as it too moved into the shadows.

-----

Meanwhile, in their room in the inn, Naruto and Clare found themselves in for a surprise. Because they did not specify as such to the innkeeper, they were given a room with one double bed, instead of two singles.

"Well, we can still make this work." Naruto said after a few minutes of silence.

"What do you mean?" Clare asked, slightly uncomfortable with the fact that they may have to sleep together.

"Well, we just each sleep on our own sides." Naruto explained. He knew Clare was still uncomfortable about sleeping in the same bed, not to mention having sex, but it would probably be okay. So long as they stayed on their sides of the bed.

"Very well." Was all she said.

-----

As they lay in bed later that night each on their own sides of the bed, Naruto lay thinking about the state of their relationship. They were almost in a rut at the moment, they just couldn't seem to get over that hurdle of sleeping together. Not like now of course. There was no reason for him to feel as uncomfortable as he was feeling right now.

So why was it that he couldn't sleep.

-----

Unknown to Naruto, Clare – lying with her back to him – was having trouble sleeping as well. She was worried that Naruto might try something. That was stupid of course, Naruto was an honourable person and she loved him. Naruto would never take advantage of her like that.

Yet, for some unknown reason, she shared Naruto's inability to sleep.

-----

The next morning, as the sun's first rays began streaming through the curtains, Naruto was woken by them first.

"Ugh, damn sunlight. Can't even sleep in a little."

As he was moving, he became aware of his position. He had inadvertently moved closer to Clare in the night. He was currently spooning with her. Clare was, fortunately (or unfortunately), still sleeping.

He decided to do something that could be very dangerous. He decided to wake Clare.

"Clare. Wake up Clare." He whispered close to her ear.

In a flash, her eyes were open. She started to move to get out of the bed, when she felt someone holding her down. In the same moment she realised who it was.

She tried to remain calm as she asked the inevitable: "Naruto, what are you doing?"

"I really didn't do anything, I woke up like this." Naruto replied.

"Oh, okay." She said. She began to calm down a little more. Slowly, a small smile formed on her face.

"Listen, we should probably get going." Naruto said, breaking the comfortable silence that had begun to form.

-----

As Naruto and Clare were beginning to get ready to leave, the innkeeper heard the bell above his door ring.

"Welcome, how may I help..." the rest of the greeting died on his lips as he saw who – or rather _what_ – was at his front desk.

"Greetings, I am here to ask about some customers of yours." The Claymore said in a trademark monotone.

"Sure, anything I can-"

She cut him off. "They checked in yesterday, one of my... business associates you could say, and a younger blond man." She explained.

"Yes, I remember them. They haven't checked out yet."

"What room?"

"Number 3. Up the stairs, down the hall, last door on your left." The innkeeper answered nervously.

"Thank you." Was all she said and then walked up the stairs.

A/N: Ooh, cliffy. Bad I know, but I felt like ending it here. Sorry for not updating in a while. For those who do read it, I'm not that far along on the manga. Most of my source material comes from what happens in the anime, of course diverging where necessary. I can tell you one thing though: The chapter after this one is where my story diverts wholly from the anime or the manga.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Raphaela made her way to room 3. She still could not understand why the company was so interested in the blond man accompanying Number 47. She had only been told to bring him in. Even if it meant putting Number 47 out of commission.

-----

"Listen Clare, there's another Claymore outside our room." Naruto suddenly said.

"How do you know? I don't sense anyone."

"Just trust me, there's one out there, and from what I can tell, she's pretty strong."

"So what are we going to do?"

"We'll hear what she wants first." Naruto replied.

"Okay, but be ready in case there is a fight."

As Raphaela approached the door, she sensed that they seemed to have made no attempt to escape. She carefully drew her sword and opened the door.

"Greetings Number 47." She said.

"Greetings. Unfortunately, I do not know your name and rank." Of course, she recognised one of the symbols that Miria showed them previously, but she didn't want to give anything away.

"I am Number 5, Raphaela."

"It's interesting to me that all the women in this business are so damn hot." Naruto said suddenly.

"What are you talking about?" Rapahaela asked, frowning slightly.

"Even with that wound on your face, you look damn hot."

"Well, that aside, may I ask what you are doing here?" Clare asked.

"I am here regarding your travelling companion."

"Naruto. My name is Naruto."

"What do you want with him?" Clare asked.

"I don't want anything with him. It's the company that wants him for some reason."

"What do they want with him?"

"I have no idea, they have ordered me to bring him in, even if I have to dispose of you."

"Okay, I'll go." Naruto answered before Clare could say anything.

"What do you mean?" Clare asked, glancing to him.

"As long as you leave Clare unharmed, I'll go with you."

"Very well." Raphaela replied.

"No!" Clare shouted as she leaped at Raphaela.

Their swords met with a loud clang. "You do realise that you have no chance. I am Number 5 for a reason." Raphaela said calmly as they fought.

"Clare, stop!" Naruto shouted. "She'll kill you!"

"Listen to your companion. He speaks a lot of sense."

"What is the company planning on doing with him?"

"I do not know. I was merely told to bring him in."

"Very well."

With that said, Clare withdrew.

"Now if you will please come with me..."

"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."

"I am sorry Naruto, I can't just let you go like this." Clare said, and with that she leaped at Raphaela again.

"Clare, no!" Naruto shouted.

With lightning-quick reflexes Rapahaela had her sword out and was defending herself, and even though they were not using any of their youki Clare was still at a disadvantage.

With a burst of youki, Rapahaela pushed Clare back. "I will commend you Number 47, you are stronger than I assumed from your rank, but not strong enough." And with that, she swung her sword across, meaning to cut Clare in half.

Out of nowhere, Naruto had appeared behind her with his sword at her throat. "Let her go. I told you I'd come with you willingly."

"As you wish, I will desist then."

"I'll meet you outside, I just want to say goodbye."

"Very well." And with that, she left.

"Naruto, you can't go. It's too dangerous."

"Sometimes you remind me of a girl I used to know. She cared about me in her own way, and I cared about her a lot."

"What happened to her?" Clare asked.

"I don't know, but forget about that for now. I have to go with her. She's too strong, even if we fight together. I will find you again, don't worry." Naruto said, a small, sad smile on his face.

With their goodbyes said, he grabbed his pack and left.

-----

"So, how far to the headquarters of this organisation?" Naruto asked as he met Raphaela outside the inn.

"It is quite a ways, but don't worry, we will be travelling quickly." Raphaela replied.

"What do you mean?"

"We will only be stopping unless absolutely necessary." She explained.

Naruto sighs. "Is that really necessary?"

"Yes."

"Wow. Not very talkative, are we?" Naruto asked with a grin.

"The job that I do doesn't call for talkative people." She explained.

"Yeah, I've noticed that with Clare as well, but she at least, didn't just answer in monosyllables when I spoke to her."

"Well, I cannot comment on my associates, I am just telling you how I am."

And so they walked.

-----

"So your name is Raphaela, correct?" Naruto asked after they had been walking for a while.

"Correct."

"And you're Number 5 in the rankings?"

"Yes."

"You know, I've told Clare this as well, but you guys look really hot in those tight outfits you wear."

"Is that so?" Raphaela asked, but continued walking.

"Yeah, but seriously, I wanted to ask – if it's not too personal – what happened to your face?"

"It is part of why I became half-Yoma."

"Oh, okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, I might as well. When I was younger, a Yoma was posing as someone from my village. It attacked my parents one day. I came home late, because I was at a friend's house. It was waiting for me. It stabbed me in the eye with one of its fingers, but somehow, I fought it off. My current handler was through town when it happened and took me to the organisation. When they added the Yoma flesh and blood, the wound grew shut like this." She gestured to her face. "It remains as a reminder of my hatred for Yoma."

"Wow, that's some story. I'm sorry to hear about your parents." Naruto said with a small smile.

"Oh, well, thank you." She said, a slight blushon her face.

And so they continued walking.

----

After many days of walking, they had arrived at the organisation's headquarters.

"Well, we are here." Raphaela said.

What Naruto saw was unexpected. "Wait a tick. I thought the headquarters would be in a town."

"It isn't. If it was, the organisation would feel obligated to protect that town more than others. This way it can remain neutral." Raphaela explained.

With that said, they entered the building. It had the look of a military bunker and was the colour of sandstone.

Naruto was led to a room shrouded in twilight. He could make out several people sitting in a semi-circle toward the door they just entered. Raphaela approached them, stopped, saluted and then said: "Male anomaly delivered as ordered."

"Thank you Number 5, you may go." One of the men replied.

Without a further word, Raphaela turned and left.

"So young man, do you know why you are here?" Another of the men asked after Raphaela left.

"No, I was only told to accompany Raphaela back here." Naruto replied.

"Good." Was the man's sole reply, and then suddenly Naruto's vision went black as he was knocked out.

-----

As Naruto's vision returned, he saw that he was strapped to a metal table and he was connected to dozens of tubes.

He turned his head to look around, but found that it too, was strapped down. Suddenly, he heard a voice. "Ah, so you are finally awake. That is good. You are going to be part of a little experiment of ours." The man that accompanied the voice was tall and thin, and yet slightly hunched over. His head was bald except for hair along the sides and back of his head. The hair here was almost white, but whether it was from age or naturally that colour, Naruto didn't know.

"What experiment?"

"An experiment to see if it is possible that you could be made into a male 'Claymore' as the people call them."

"We have received reports from various reliable sources that, when you fight you release an energy very similar to yoki. From these reports we have developed a theory. Your inherent energy may be able to better control Yoma powers if they were added. We wish to test this theory by adding Yoma flesh and blood."

With that, the man turned away.

As he left Naruto's side, a woman approached and hung a small bag full of blood from a nearby hook. "I take it that's the Yoma blood?" Naruto asked as it ran through a tube connected to his arm.

"Yes it is." She replied.

"Strange, I thought my body would be having some kind of reaction to having foreign blood being injected into my system." Naruto said, with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Now that you mention it, the transfusion usually causes extreme pain to the subjects." She said with an equally thoughtful look on her face.

'Yes! It's working! It's working!' The doctor thought excitedly.

As the last of the blood flowed out of the bag, the doctor approached again. "Now we will graft the flesh of a Yoma to your body. We will anaesthetise you of course."

"Fine, just get on with it." Naruto replied irritably

'What he doesn't know is that we are also modifying his body so that he can eject claw-like blades from between his knuckles.'

Naruto was finally put under complete sedation and they began the operation. They proceeded to take off almost all the skin from his abdominal area. Then a nurse brought in a tray on which lay the Yoma flesh.

They proceeded to place this over the gap left by his skin. As they placed it, something completely unexpected happened. The flesh immediately started to grow and where it met Naruto's skin, it fused to it.

'Well, that was unexpected.' The doctor thought to himself.

"Very well," he said, "bandage him and take him to the recovery ward."

------

A/N: And thus ends this chapter. I know it's not as long as you would have wanted it to be, but it's been busy here because we're planning to move soon and there's a lot to pack. Thanks again for all the reviews.


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